Influence of socioeconomic factors in the health state of primary education students

Abstract

Abstract. Introduction. Socio-economic inequalities can be one of the causes of the eating patterns and physical activity of student’s change. Obesity and overweight are a problem in today's society, and its trend upward, especially in children, have made that they should be considered as the epidemic of the 21st century according to International organizations. Material and methods. This study aims to describe the reality of the State of health of students, so it is a descriptive study with 154 students from schools in the Region of Murcia. It´s analyzed the data extracted from the students through three questionnaires and measurement of height and weight. Nutritional status by measuring the rate of body mass (BMI = weight/Altura²) is evaluated. BMI classification is performed using the tables established by the project Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance III Project, gender and age. Results. Overweight and obesity appear to be associated with more variables apart from the physical activity and nutrition, since these can be affected by socio-economic and cultural level. Conclusions. It is worth noting the existence of significant differences both in the socioeconomic situation and in the state of health of the students, which shows the association between the economy of the family and the nutritional health of their children. This study ends with new lines of research on the subject and educational implications.